The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-12-07
AN UGLY BRUTE.
TRAPPING THE FOUR FOOTED
TERROR OF THE ROCKIES.
The Fierce Grizzly Unawed by the
Advance of Civilization-His Cap
ture by Ponderous Traps
Bruins Fayoritc Food.

tOr mas TO Qeal With. You QOnt nave 10
depend on your cunning as hunter to
insure yourself the sight OF one, for they
are neither modest nor scarce about put
ting themselves in your way. AS a
general thing, if the hunter isn't expert
enccd, it will require more cunning and
skill for him to get out of the sight of a
grizzly than it will for him to come in
sight of one. Since l went to the Rock
les the Indian has been greatly awcd
and tanned down, but the advance of
civilization has not added one iota of
sweetness to the grizzly bears temper or
tended to dull his claws or loosen his
teeth.
"Asfar as danger is concerned, l be-
lieye there is more in trapping the griz-
ely than there is in chasing him with
rifle. Our traps are ponderous iron
implements, as heavy as thlee of your
black bear traps, and with jaws so still
that it requires two men using lever to
| force them open so they can be set. We
attach a stlong chain to the trap, the
same as you do for the playthings you
call bear here in the East, but our chains
are strong enough for log chains. At the
other end of the chain is attached an
iron ring or band six or eight inches in
diameter. This is forced, by pounding
it with maui, over tile end of log six
feet long and big enough around to make
the iron band fit so tightly around it that
it can't be pulled off. When a grizzly
steps on the pan of one of those great
traps and the stiff jaws close on his leg,
the heavy log serves as a hindrance to
him as he drags it along by the chain on
his retreat to his haunts in the tangled
thickets he favors. A great deal of cum
ming has to be used in setting trap for
a grizzly bear, for he is almost as sus-
p:cious as the fox, and will frequently
desert what has the appearance of good
meal if he makes up his mind that dam
ger is lurking near. He never hesitatcs
to risk danger that he may sec positively
confronting or challenging him, in the
way of hunter, dog, or anything else,
but suspicious-looking object, the ma
ture of which he cannot understand, is
enough to start him OF about his bust
ness and to keep him moving until he
has placed good extent of territory
between him and the mysterious cause
of his fear.
"And what do you suppose is the fa-
vorite food of this fierce and hulking
monster2 Ground mice, moes, grubs
and crickets. What do you think of a
great bloodthirsty beast, weighing ZOO
pounds, hunting and devouring such in
significant things as thcse2 Yet n grizzly
bear will do that all day long. Once
trapped for several days for big grizzly
that was prowling about a mining camp
where was staying, but 1 failed in every
attempt made to lead the willy beast
into my steel. was about to give him
up as a bad job, when I heard a ground
mouse squealing near where the trap was
set, and made up my mind to give the
bear one trial with few OF these little
chaps AS lures. After long and tedious
search, I caught dozen mice, and, COW
ering up my trap carelessly with some
dead branches, tied half dozen of the
mice by strings to pegs in the ground
around the trap. When l visited the
spot an hour or so later found Mr..
Grizzly fast, with both Of his paws in the
trap. The mice had overcome his fears,
and l put him out of his trouble by load
ing h IN with a few rifle balls. After
that l would never have used anything
else but ground mice to tempt grizzlies
to my traps, but they are not an easy
thing to get hold of, and 1 had to do
without them except On rare occasions.
81 believe that the experience of all
grizzly-bear trappors has proved that
grizzly will invariably escape from trap
if he is not ovcrtaken by the hunter
within few hours after being caught.
1t is to lessen the danger of this that all
the skillful trappers fasten the clog to
the trap with the chain on one end of it.
Some trappers fasten the chain at the
middle of the log, but that shows that
the man don't know his business. With
the chain fastened at the end of the clog
1t is dragged along endwiSe and clears
all distractions that would catch and
hold it crosswise if it were dragged from
the middle. Nine times out of ten
grizzly will be caught by the trap not
far from the extremity of one of his fore
paws. Very rarely can it happen that
both paws are in the trap. On being
caught the bear rushcs with all the speed
he can summon, and III i tremendous
rage, toward the nearest swamp or
thicket, neither of which he has 10 go
far to find. He seems to know that his
life depends on his speedily ridding HIM
self of the incumbrance of the trap. AS
he tears onward through the forest he
mows great swaths in the underbrush.
He drags the trap and clog against
trees, logs and rocks, and whenever
some obstruction holds them fast, he
tugs and jerks his imprisoned foot, try
ing to tear it loose. If the chain held
the clog in the middle the bear would
not 60 far before the drag would
be caught between two trees and held
securely. Then one or two determined
lunges backward by the bear with his
enormous body would tear the foo
loose, and the grizzly would escape
to the swamp. I have more than once
come up with my trap and found nothing
! in it but ;hc ragged and bloody huff Of
some monster bears foot. aad sach has
been the experience of all tIappcrs.
'rhe further grizzly goes on his
furious march without riding himself of
the trap The greater his rage becomes.
If it happens to strike against tree and
does not hold there he will turn on the
tree and tear its trunk with his teeth,
sometime; gnashing half the trunk away.
| have followed the trail of grizzlies
! through the thick timber while they were
, endeavor;ng to free themselves of their
trans, and have counted sapling after